Identical, the story of twins
by selenaxo
Summary: Pebblekit and Riverkit, two twins who are part of a mysterious, unknown prophecy, are separated when the menacing FireClan drives them out. As they grow older, apart from eachother, Pebblekit (now Pebble) meets a tom from the clan. Pebble desperately wants to find her sister, and when they reunite they make a shocking decision- they decide to switch. Will the clan ever notice?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The breeze whispered through the swaying trees, spraying and swirling dead brown leaves on the peaceful, sleeping camp of WaterClan. Every cat was asleep under the twinkling lights of silverpelt on a chilly, leaf-fall night. Everyone, except for one cat.

Arrowfur, the thick-furred, reddish-brown tabby medicine cat, couldn't sleep. She was restless and she didn't know why. She sat in her cold stone den, taking in all of the rich smells of the medicines and herbs, knowing each one by their smell. Arrowfur decided that she needed to take a walk-a long, relaxing walk. She let her legs and paws guide her out of her den and the camp entrance, not even thinking about where she was going. The dead leaves that covered the ground felt good under her paws as they made satisfying crunching noises.

Arrowfur walked for hours. She was sure that the sun would be rising soon. But before she could even realize it, she was already at the Moonrock's cave entrance. She didn't know why she had decided to come here. She figured that it was a sign from StarClan that she was here, because the Moonrock was the best way to communicate with them. Arrowfur cautiously started to walk inside the incredibly dark tunnel, and made her way through. She had memorized which way to go, just like every other medicine cat. If you go the wrong way, you could get lost... forever.

As she entered the small dark room, she could see the faint outline of the Moonrock. It was huge, and it was tinted pink. Her old mentor said that twolegs called it Rose Quartz. She knew this because her mentor was originally a kittypet and knew many things about them. She smiled when she thought about when she was alive, and a deep sadness washed over her when she remembered the horrible monster accident, the day her beloved mentor died. She shook her head, trying to forget about it.

It was the biggest and most gorgeous crystal any cat has ever seen. Just then, the moon started to shift in view from the ceiling, and the beautiful Moonrock started to glow and shine. It was the most magical thing that Arrowfur had ever seen, even though she had seen it many times from moons and moons of traveling here. She touched her nose to the cold crystal and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she could tell she was in StarClan. She was laying on white, fluffy clouds, and she could see twinkling silver stars in the distance. As they got closer, she realized they were indeed not stars- they were StarClan cats. She recognized their leader who died when she and her siblings were small kits, Gingerstar, and her mother, Mistyecho. They were both beautiful she-cats, but they had a stern look on their faces.

She dipped her head in respect. "Gingerstar, Mother," she said kindly. They both acknowledged her greeting, but they both still looked very serious. Arrowfur started to get nervous. "What's wrong?" she mewed weakly.

Gingerstar's yellow-orange eyes and her mother's green eyes turned even brighter than they were before. Keeping a stern face, they meowed fiercely, "Two of the same will be born, and lives of the clans will change forever."

Arrowfur was startled. It was a prophecy! The words echoed around her and she started to get a headache. "What? What does that mean?" She yowled. "Who is two of the same? How are the clans going to change?" But it was no use. The two she-cats were already fading away quickly.

"No! No!" She yelled. "Please, come back!" Her clan couldn't deal with a prophecy right now. They were already dealing with enough, especially the horrible luck leaf-fall had brought them so far! Valuable cats were dying, there wasn't enough prey to go around...

Arrowfur could feel herself slipping away from the StarClan world. She didn't want to leave. She needed to stay and figure out this prophecy! But she realized there was nothing she could do. She slipped back into the real world, the prophecy still fresh in her mind.

_Two of the same__ will be born, and lives of the clans will change forever..._

[sub][i]3 Months Later...[/i][/sub]

"Come on! It's going to be ok, Nightfeater! Push!"

Nightfeather's sleek black fur felt hot and sweaty. Her golden eyes were bloodshot, but she continued to push.

"Your first kit is almost there! Just keep pushing!" urged Arrowfur. "You're doing great!"

Nightfeather muttered curse words under her breath, but she still continued to push. Finally, she felt relief as her first kit slid out.

"Congratulations! Your first kit as a very handsome orange tabby tom," Arrowfur exclaimed.

Nightfeather sighed, relieved the pain was over-but not for long. She felt it coming on again. "Arrowfur! I thought you said you felt only one kit inside of me!" Nightfeather yowled.

"Sorry, it's kind of hard to tell sometimes..." She mewed sheepishly. She put her paw on her stomach. "Oh, yes! There are two more!"

Nightfeather groaned in pain. "Lets just get this over with!".

She pushed. And she pushed. But these two kits were stubborn. It almost felt as if they wanted to come out together, and by all means she wasn't letting that happen. She strained her face, pushing hard, and with great relief she felt one slide out, and then almost immediately the other one. She put her head down, panting and sweating.

"What are the last two?" She mewed between gasps. Expecting an answer, she looked over at Arrowfur, slightly lifting her exhausted head. But Arrowfur was dead silent. She looked down where the two kits were with wide amber eyes, not saying a word.

Nightfeather sat up quickly, now starting to panic. "What's wrong? Are they ok? Please tell me they're not..." She couldn't even say it. It would be too horrible.

"No. No. Nothing's wrong with your kits. You have two healthy she-cats," Arrowfur finally responded.

She sighed with relief. "Oh, thank StarClan," she muttered. But... why was she being so hesitant? "Why so suprised, then?" she mewed, holding her orange tom kit close to her body.

"Take a look for yourself," Arrowfur whispered as she stepped back, no longer obscuring the view of her two daughters. Nightfeather repositioned herself so she could take a good look, and gasped deeply. There was nothing wrong with them. They were both perfectly healthy and beautiful, and Nightfeather was happy. But there was something very amazing about these two she-cats. The looked [i]exactly the same[/i]. Every marking, every color, even their size and shape... This could only mean one thing

They were identical twins.

"The prophecy..." Arrowfur muttered inaudibly. [i]"Two of the same..."[/i]

Just then, Snowstar, WaterClan's fluffy white leader, walked in. "Is everything ok? How are the kits?" She mewed happily.

Arrowfur looked up. "They are perfectly healthy. Two she-cats and one tom. But Snowstar... you are going to want to take a look at this..."

Snowstar padded over, taking a closer look at the two she-cats. Her icy eyes widened as she took in the sight. "Oh StarClan..." She turned towards Arrowfur. "Do you think..."

"The prophecy," Arrowfur stated sternly with a nod.

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Nightfeather asked, her golden eyes darting from the brown medicine cat back to Snowstar. Arrowfur and Snowstar exchanged worried glances.

Snowstar sighed. "I think it's time we told our clan the truth."

"Betcha can't catch me, Pebblekit!"

Pebblekit looked at her Riverkit, still amazed at her sister's strength. She was already attempting to climb the walls of the nursery, and their eyes had opened not too long ago. She began to be lost deep in thought. It was like her to be spacey and out of it.

Just then, Bramblekit pounced, becoming an orange blur. "Attack!" He squeaked as he tackled Pebblekit. He pinned her shoulders down on the ground, and when she tried to wriggle out from his heavy paws it was no use. "I am a FireClan warrior! I hate WaterClan cats, and now, I will eat you!" Bramblekit began playfully nipping at her neck and underbelly, and Pebblekit started to giggle uncontrollably. "S-stop!" She said through laughter. Riverkit jumped to the ground and joined in on the fun.

Their mother watched them and chuckled. "My little ones," she mewed. "Come here to your mother."

Riverkit flattened her ears. "Aww, mom, can't we just play a little longer?"

Nightfeather smiled. "I think you will much rather hear the good news I am about to tell you."

Riverkit's ears perked up, and the three kits clumsily stumbled towards their mother, laughing as they clumsily ran into each other. They stopped when they arrived by their mothers side. Two pairs of green eyes and one pair of amber eyes gleamed as they looked up lovingly at her.

Pebblekit worshipped her mother. She loved her more than anything, besides her siblings, and she thought Nightfeather was the most beautiful cat she had ever seen. She hoped every day that she looked like her.

"Its time I gave you the privilege of letting you leave the nursery and go outside," their mother mewed calmly. "You are now old enough to hold the responsibilities."

Riverkit's eyes widened. "Really? Awesome!" She squeaked. Bramblekit bounced excitedly, but Pebblekit stayed excited on the inside, trying to appear calm and collected. They were actually going to go outside and meet other kits! And real warriors of WaterClan... Nightfeather had told them about warriors and the incredible things they did for this clan. They had only seen a few real warriors, because only the occasional queen and warriors came in the nursery. All of the other kits were older and were already spending all of their time outside and in the bigger nursery where the older kits stayed. Now they were finally old enough!

"Now remember- you must never leave camp. It is very dangerous in the outside world and you are not ready to handle all of that danger. Someday you will be- but not now." Her golden eyes were very serious. "Please don't disobey me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of you."

Pebblekit laughed. "Don't worry mom! We'll behave! I'll make sure of it." Pebblekit was always the behaved one out of the three. The kits sprinted their way towards the exit and took their first tiny pawsteps into the bustling outside world.

The kits oohed and ahhed as they looked around at the camp, wide-eyed. Warriors looked at the three and chucked- they remembered the first time they went outside and how exciting it was. But others looked at the two she-cats with wide eyes. Pebblekit listened into two warrior's conversation.

"Arrowfur says those two identical she-kits are part of the prophecy. What else could 'two of the same' mean?" one said.

"I don't know, but whatever the change is going to be for the clans, I hope its ... how could those two kits change [i]anything[/i] around here? They're both so small!"

Pebblekit was shocked. Surely they couldn't be talking about her and Riverkit, could they? She wasn't sure what prophecy meant, but she definitely knew what twins were.

"Hey guys, lets go to the edge of a pool, and see our reflection!" said Pebblekit. She had to see if they were twins.

"Okay! That sounds fun!" mewed Bramblekit. They raced over, almost trampling a small tan-colored tom with dark brown spots and stripes covering his thick, long fur. "Hey! Watch it!" he yelped as Riverkit accidentally stepped on his dappled tail.

"Sorry! We're trying to find a pool so we can see our reflection!" Riverkit yelled behind her, still running with her siblings excitedly. His ears perked up, and he decided to come along with them. Because the tom was much older and bigger, he caught up quickly.

"I'm Spottedkit, by the way!" He meowed, giggling along with the other kits. Pebblekit already liked this tom- she could tell they were going to get along well.

They skidded to a stop by the Elder's den. There was a puddle a few feet away. Bramblekit heaved in a big breath and let it out. "Someone go first. I don't want to," he mewed nervously.

"Riverkit! Lets go together!" Pebblekit mewed, intertwining her tail with her sisters. Pebblekit noticed that they had very similar coloring. Maybe what she overheard was right... Maybe they were twins!

"Ok!" she squeaked. They pranced forward and quickly looked in the puddle. After a few seconds of taking it all in, Pebblekit gasped.

"Riverkit..." She mewed softly. She could see in the reflection that Riverkit's green eyes were wide open. She saw it too.

"We're not just sisters, we're..."

"Twins," she finished for Pebbekit. They looked at each other and both kits grinned.

"We're twins! We're twins! This is so exciting!" Riverkit yowled, tackling her sister.

But the happiness didn't last long.

A black tom burst through the camp entrance, on the other side of camp many fox-lengths away. Many cats suddenly stood up, and a few hissed. Most just looked confused and frightened.

Then there was silence for a few moments. Other cats filed in. One of the WaterClan warriors, brown tom with unusual reddish and ginger flecks, stood up, barring his teeth.

"FIRECLAN INVASION!"

Many cats screamed. Mothers quickly rushed their kits and young apprentices into the nursery, and some younger cats hid in the dens. Big, powerful warriors immediately tackled the cats, but they fought back hard.

A she-cat ran by quickly and picked up Spottedkit quickly by his scruff. Muffled by Spottedkit in her mouth, she turned to the kits and started giving instructions. "Find your mother! Hurry! It's not safe!" She ran towards the nursery.

The three kits were so shocked they all just sat there for a few heartbeats. The FireClan cats continued to file in through the camp entrance, and the view of the nursery, which was next to the camp entrance across camp, became more obscure by the commotion. Then, Bramblekit, trying his best to be the brave older brother, yelled, "Riverkit! Pebblekit! Get behind me! We're going to get through this together! Remember what mom said- she couldn't bear to lose us, and we can't let her down!"

The two she-kits exchanged worried glances. "Ok, we trust you," said Riverkit, her mew trying to hide how scared she was. Shaking and cautious, the three began to make their way towards the nursery. They started off walking, but then walking turned into running. They dodged all of the fighting spitting cats that they could, and did their best to try to stay together and make their way back to the nursery.

Suddenly, a huge, muscular tom barged through the fighting cats. He was all darkish gray had a large scar running down his right green eye. He looked down on the kits and smiled. "I have found them!" he meowed viciously. He smiled horribly. "Hello little twins. My name is Ashstar of FireClan..." he mewed softly. He suddenly picked up Pebblekit by the scruff. She could feel his teeth dig into her skin as she quickly lifted off the ground. Riverkit screamed. "Let my sister go!" she yowled. Pebblekit squirmed, trying to get out from his grip, but his grip was too strong. She could feel warm streams of blood running down her body from her scruff. Pebblekit began to yell for help, but when she started, Ashstar threw her on the ground. Pebblekit felt horrible pain shoot up her back.

Ashstar cackled. "Time for you to die, you horrible rat! Then, that wretched prophecy won't ruin our lives!" Pebblekit tried to get up, but her legs weren't doing what she told them to do. Her body was too shocked and hurt to move at the moment.

"Pebblekit! Run!" Bramblekit screamed.

But Pebblekt knew it was too late. Just as she prepared for the horrible, green-eyed leader to lean down and end her life, she saw a flash of white, and before she knew it, Ashstar was knocked down on the ground next to her.

Snowstar had saved her life!

"Its time for your reign of terror to end, Ashstar!"

Ashstar didn't even try to wriggle from her grasp. His emerald eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't kill me," He hissed. "Especially not knowing that I'm on my last life. You are too good of a cat!"

Snowstar frowned. "Watch me!"

Pebblekit couldn't look. She could hear Ashstar's last breath being sucked in from surprise. A FireClan warrior looked over to see her dead leader. She yowled in misery. "Snowstar killed our leader!"

Everything stopped. It was as if someone froze time. They all turned to Snowstar.

"FireClan! Attack HARDER! Take revenge for your leader's life!"

War calls were yowled. Cats pushed their way towards Snowstar. Pebblekit realized that she had lost sight of her siblings. "Bramblekit! Riverkit! Mommy!" She yelled for anyone. The commotion was too much for her tiny body to handle. Before she knew it, everything went black.

…

When Pebblekit woke up again, she was sure she'd find herself in StarClan. I died, she thought. I let mom down. But when she fully opened her eyes, she saw that she was still in fact in the same exact place she passed out in- a few fox-lengths away from the nursery on the edge of camp. They were so close to making it!

The moon reflected off of her dirt-filled, bloody fur. She slowly got up, feeling pains in her scruff and back, and limped towards the nursery. Why hadn't Arrowfur treated to her wounds yet?

"Mom?" She meowed as she walked into the nursery.

To Pebblekit's horror, the nursery was completely empty.

She rushed out. This wasn't happening. She sprinted over to the medicine cat's den, a small stone cave. But no one was in there.

Pebblekit started to panic. Her heart quickened as she ran towards the warriors den. She barged inside.

No one.

Pebblekit blinked several times. "No," she said in shock. "No, no, no, no, no. NO!" This had to be some sort of horrible nightmare. She would wake up, and Bramblekit's soft orange fur would be against hers, and Riverkit would be bursting with joy about how they were twins with her. But in the back of her head she knew this was no nightmare. This was reality. Her clan must have abandoned camp because of the FireClan invasion.

Pebblekit wailed. It was the only thing she could think of to do. She had no one. Everyone had left, and they didn't even realize that they had left her behind. Did they leave her on purpose? No, they couldn't of. Then why? She hoped to StarClan that they left because of the FireClan invasion.

She stopped wailing. Why would StarClan do this to her? She didn't care. No matter what happens, she would never count on StarClan. She didn't even think that it existed anymore. "Even if they did exist," she whispered to herself, "I have turned my back on them."

Pebblekit no longer was Pebblekit. She realized she would probably never find her clan ever again, so she wouldn't need her clan name. From now on she was Pebble. If life was forcing her to grow up right then and now, then she would. She was a rogue. But still, Nightfeather's words still echoed in her head.

_I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of you..._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Two years after the incident...

"Pebble! Are you okay?"

Pebble winced in pain from the fall she had just taken. As she looked up, she saw the mouse she was trying to catch quickly scurrying into a lush, green bush. She grumbled as she tried to stand up, feeling wobbly and sore. Her best friend immediately ran up beside her, supporting her as she stood.

"Ugh, why am I so bad at catching prey, Rose?" she complained to her gray tabby companion.

Rose rolled her big yellow eyes. "You're not bad!" She exclaimed. "Trust me. Compared to my skills in catching prey, you are amazing."

Pebble smiled and laughed softly, then nuzzled Rose. "You're the best."

Rose smiled. She pawed at Pebble's shoulder playfully. Her smile vanished, and replacing it was a concerned look on her face. "Pebble, I feel giant bumps on your shoulders! What are they?" Rose eyed her shoulders closely, inspecting every detail. Her bright, sunny eyes widened.

"Dude! There are four giant scars on your back!" She exclaimed, ears perked. "They almost look like..."

"Bitemarks?" Pebble finished her sentence.

Pebble did not like going too far down memory lane. Her traumatizing incident at 2 moons old when she used to be a clan cat had scarred her forever, especially being picked up, thrown to the ground, and almost killed by the most horrible cat imaginable. Not to mention, being left by her clan soon after. The question echoed in her mind moons and moons after the incident- how could they have left her and forgotten about her? Where did they go? She wondered what Brambekit looked like by now, and if her mother was even still alive. Her mind began traveling towards her childhood... She had been left in the forest alone. Even moons after the attack she was shaken up about it. The bite marks in her back hurt for a long time, and once they healed they left scars hidden by her dark fur. Pebble remembered the first den she made and slept in, and how scared she felt sleeping alone in the dark forest. She missed her mother and her brother, and her whole clan. But most of all, she desperately missed Riverkit. Her heart ached for a very long time without her, and to this day it still did.

Fortunately, not too long ago, she had met Rose, one of the only other cats she had ever seen since the incident, for when the incident happened, she said goodbye to her old home and trekked on far away from FireClan's reach. She had found a forest that was inhabited by very little cats, so she never saw any around. But when she met Rose, they immediately became friends. They were very similar and she trusted her with her life. She had forgotten what it was like to socialize, to have other cats around, to have someone to share your thoughts and to talk to. She didn't even realize how much she missed being with other cats over the long span of time being alone. When Rose came into her life, she had fixed a lonely part of her aching heart, and she was very grateful for it.

"Thats... exactly what they look like," said Rose, a puzzled look across her face. "But, why are they there?"

Pebble looked at her with her emerald green eyes. "I'll tell you another time, when we have plenty of time and it's a good day for telling incredibly long stories about our history," she mewed humorously. "But for now, it's getting dark, and I should probably be heading to my den. See you soon?"

Rose nodded reassuringly. "See you soon," she smiled.

Pebble nodded and started making her way towards her den. She went through branches, over and under tree trunks, and finally found her den. She crawled through the lichen-covered entrance and deeply inhaled the warm smell.

This was all she ever knew as home.


	3. Chapter 2

Pebble woke up to a rustling noise. Still lying down with eyes closed, her ears perked. She ignored it, thinking it was probably a bird or a mouse, and started to drift back off into a warm, comforting sleep.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard the noise again, this time much louder. It started her. The noise was so loud that she was now completely awake, eyes open, head up and ears perked.

"Rose?" She called out, guessing it was her friend, expecting to see her bright yellow eyes and dark gray fur walk through her den at any moment.

The rusting noise came again, now even louder than before. Pebble was now standing, ready for FireClan to finish off what they started two years ago. Her nightly nightmares were coming true...

What she saw next gave shivers up her spine. Two blurs of orange raced into the middle of her den, their black paws skidding to a halt by the sight of Pebble. Their giant, fluffy, white-tipped tails tails stuck out, erect. Their white underfur was mangled and dirty.

Foxes!

Pebble let out a very loud cry for help. She couldn't take on two foxes by herself! She stood there for a second, in shock. She wondered if she should even try to fight, or if she should just give up and let them tear her apart. They were both big, muscular foxes that could easily tear her to shreds.

But Pebble puffed out her chest bravely. She was not letting a couple of foxes kill her. Today would NOT be the day that she would die. She curled her lip and snarled loudly, fluffing up her fur and crouching down. She was trying to do her best to look as menacing as possible. She tried to conjure up what was left of her warrior instincts and...

Just as she was about to face the fox and pounce, a blur of gray rushed in. It pinned down the fox immediately, snarling. At first, because Pebble saw the gray fur, she guessed it was Rose. But after the shock wore away, it took her less than a heartbeat that this cat was definitely not Rose. It was in fact a tom cat!

The tom was very skilled at fighting. He clawed the soft underbelly of the fox that he was already upon, and the fox yelped, wiggled out of his grip, and scampered away, bushy tail between legs. But the other fox wasn't giving up without a fight. The fox pounced towards the tom, but the gray cat easily dodged his pounce. They both snarled as the tom cat lunged towards the fluffy orange creature. Clawing, rolling and blood were all Pebble saw for the next several heartbeats, and she winced at every blow, maintaning wide green eyes as she watched. Finally, when the tom gave him a powerful punch to the jaw, the fox ran out.

They both just stood there for a few moments, taking in what had just happened. Pebble noticed this tom was quite handsome, with rugged outlines and amazing muscles.

"U-uh..." Stammered Pebble finally. "Thanks for saving me..." She was very flattered, and she felt her cheeks getting warm. But the next words that the tom said were very unexpected.

"Riverbreeze!" He exclaimed, angrily marching closer to her. "What is your problem? Everyone told you to stay back at camp, and of course, you didn't listen. I can't believe you followed me all the way out here! Now im going to have to take you all the way back to camp!"

Pebble was shocked. "Ri... Riverbreeze?" She mewed. "Who... Who is Riverbreeze? My name is Pebble, I'm not a clan cat..."

The gray tom stared at her as if Pebble had just died and suddenly became a ghost. His eyes suddenly widened even bigger. "No way... Are you-"

"You must have the wrong cat, my name isn't Riverbreeze," she cut of the tom. What was going on? Did she really look that much like anothet cat that he got him confused with some cat named River...

No. It couldn't be. Could the Riverbreeze that he was mistaking her for really be who she thought he was talking about.

But that was the only explaination. She quickly turned back towards the tom. He was staring at her in awe. He opened his mouth.

"...Pebblekit?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Amazing..." He whispered. "The stories I was told as a small kit are true... You really do look exactly like her! But... We all thought you were dead..."

Pebble felt like she was going to fall over her head was spinning so much. "You... You must be a WaterClan cat," she stated.

"Indeed I am," the tom meowed. "I am Wolfstream. I was born shortly after the FireClan invasion. I was born in the camp that is now our new home." He looked at Pebble. He could tell she was upset. "Pebblekit, you must know that everyone tells me the only reason you were left behind was because we couldn't find you and we thought... you were dead."

Even though Pebble felt a wash of relief come over her, she was still upset. She hated thinking about that day. She turned away slightly.

"Pebble," she mewed sternly. "My name is Pebble."

Wolfstream bowed his head in respect. "Of course. I am sorry."

Pebble could feel the sadness make her heart ache. "When everyone left, I-I was so scared," she stammered, the bad memories coming back and hitting her hard like a boomerang. "I ran away from camp and, well, I didn't even look back. I was so tiny and young and helpless, I don't even know how I survived. I grew up without a mother, without anyone to take care of me or love me..." she mewed, choking back sobs.

Wolfstream sighed sympathetically. "I am so sorry," he mewed. He walked over and nuzzled her. Pebble smiled. She really liked this tom.

"You know, your sister is an incredible cat," he mewed. "She's one of the best warriors in our clan. Thunderstar is thinking of making her deputy!"

Pebble grinned; she missed her sister so much! "Gosh, I haven't seen my family or my clan in so long! I've missed them so much," she said. She jumped a little when she realized something.

"Wait, did you say Thunderstar?" she croaked. "What... what happened to Snowstar?" She already knew what answer was going to come, but she still needed to know.

Wolfstream looked down. "She lost her last life to a harsh battle with badgers when I was just an apprentice. I mean, she was getting old, but our clan took the news hard. She was our clan leader for ages, and she meant so much to all of us."

It was a hard fact to accept. Pebble remembered when Snowstar saved her life when the terrible, nightmare-haunting tried to kill her. She had pinned him down and took his last wretched life. Pebble wished the memory was just a bad dream. "I can't believe she's dead. She saved my life," Pebble stated.

Wolfstream curtly nodded in agreement. "Indeed, she was a beautiful, strong she-cat with much courage and a strong heart. She hunts among StarClan now.

Pebble closed her eyes and looked down. Ever since the incident, she had turned her back on StarClan, but she wasn't going to tell him this now. It would be disrespectful to his beliefs.

"Why are you so far from WaterClan anyway?" Pebble asked, changing the subject.

He fluffed up his feathery, gray fur. "Important clan stuff. It's sort of, um, complicated. It has to do with a rogue that's been bothering us. I'm supposed to be on a mission to find him, but honestly I think he won't be bothering us." Pebble nodded. She hadn't realized how much she had missed clan life.

Wolfstream noticed the sadness in her eyes. "You know, your mother dearly misses you, and same with your siblings. Bramblekit still believes you're still alive. I think he's one of the few cats who still have hope... I wish you could see them, but its just too dangerous. Cats will start to worry about the prophecy again."

Pebble perked up. An idea immediately flooded into her head as the words left Wolfstream's lips.

"Oh, but Wolfstream... I can!" said Pebble slowly.

He tilted his head. "What?"

"Take me back to WaterClan. Let me meet my sister. And then, we could switch places! I could pretend to be her!" Pebble was excited. She felt like it was a great idea!

Wolfstream thought otherwise. "I dunno," he mewed. "It could be dangerous-"

"Oh, forget dangerous. Let loose a little! It will be fun!" she yelped.

Wolfstream's eyes gleamed. "You know, just then, you really reminded me of Riverbreeze," he murmured. Pebble smiled. That was probably the best compliment she had ever heard.

"So will you take me?" she said, green eyes glowing.

Wolfstream thought about it for a few heartbeats, then nodded. "I think we can make that work."

Pebble giggled and began to bounce around excitedly.

"Lets go!"


	5. Chapter 4

"Why are we stopping here?" Wolfstream meowed.

Pebble rushed over to Rose's den entrance. "I just have to explain to my good friend what's going on so she doesn't wonder where I am."

She padded through the entrance. "Rose? You in here?" She mewed.

A pile of gray fur was sleeping in the corner. By the sound of Pebble's voice, she lifted her head quickly, her yellow eyes piercing the dim lighting inside of her den. "Oh, hey Pebble," she mewed. "You startled me."

Pebble looked down. "I... Um, I need to tell you something," she whispered. She really hated this. She didn't want to leave Rose.

They gray she-cat stood up, stretched, and walked over to where Pebble was standing. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, not really. But I need to tell you something that I should have told you a long time ago," she started.

Rose's ears perked. "Go on," she murmured.

"You see, I was born a clan cat," she meowed, expecting a surprised reaction from Rose. But Rose politely stayed quiet and let Pebble continue.

"I was born with my brother Bramblekit and my sister Riverkit. My name was Pebblekit. But me and my sister, who are identical twins, were born into this prophecy, and some cats didn't like it. They didn't want the ways of the clan to change. Thats what the prophecy was about- that Riverkit and I would change things in the clan. This evil leader, who raided our clan, tried to kill me and drove our clan out of our home. In the middle of all the chaos, I was lost, and I was forced to grow up on my own here in this forest, not too far away from our old camp..."

Rose smiled. "I'm so glad you're telling me all of this," she mewed. "But why are you telling me now?"

Pebble sighed. She was coming to the hardest part. "Because this morning I found a tom from my old clan. He's going to take me back to our clan, so I can reunite with my sister."

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "You must be so happy!" Then, Rose realized why she was here, telling her this. The excitement in her eyes dimmed. "T-That means this is goodbye, isn't it?" she stuttered.

Pebble nodded with sorrow. She touched noses with her best friend. "I really hope we can see each other again someday," she choked. "You are my best friend and you always will be. You made my life such a better place. I just want you to know that."

"Of course," she said. "I totally understand why you are leaving. They are your family, so go. And just remember, I won't ever forget you."

Suddenly, Wolfstream walked in. "Sorry to interrupt, but if we want to get there before midnight we better leave now."

She said her last goodbyes to Rose and walked out of her den, trying not to look back. She knew it would be too hard.

Wolfstream and Pebble started to make their way towards WaterClan. She noticed they were going towards where the old WaterClan camp was, which was south of where they were now. "I didn't even realize you guys went south of the old camp," said Pebble. "I assumed you went north, towards the mountains, so that's how I got to this forest."

"Apparently, everyone went south. I wasn't alive until shortly after, though," stated Wolfstream.

They walked in silence for a long time. It felt like forever to Pebble. But, after a few hours, the parts of the forest started to become familiar to her. She gasped.

"This is the old WaterClan, forest isn't it?" she mewed, breaking the extended silence. Wolfstream nodded sternly.

"I haven't been here since..." her voice trailed off.

Just then, there was a very subtle noise. It sounded like a small thud, and then some slight rusting. Pebble's ears perked, and she stopped. Wolfstream must have heard it too, because he did the same. Pebble slowly rotated her head left and right, seeing if she could spot the source of the rustling.

Before she could even comprehend what was happening, a very large orange tabby tom tackled her and pinned her to the ground, his huge black paws on her shoulders, pinning her down securely. At the same time, a black tom pinned Wolfstream to the ground right next to her. They struggled to get out of the two toms grip, but it was no use. Their heavy paws were impossible to get from under.

The black tom tightened his grip on Wolfstream and chuckled. He looked at the orange tom. "Howlstar will be pleased," he mewed menacingly.

_Howlstar..._? Thats a clan cat name! Pebble glanced over at Wolfstream as she tried to keep a calm expression. Wolfstream looked over, and immediately Pebble knew they were thinking the same thing.

**They had been captured by FireClan cats.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Chapter 5

Pebble woke up, her vision dark and blurry. She had a massive headache and she groaned, trying to remember the last thing she remembered. And then, the memories came flooding back...

Her head shot up, trying to observe everything around her. She was in a dark, stone-cold cave, and she could tell it was almost midnight. The two toms that had attacked them and knocked them out were guarding the entrance. She could hear cats moving and talking outside, minding their own business. Pebble looked to her right, seeing Wolfstream, still out cold. She quickly stood up and prodded his fuzzy gray pelt. "Wolfstream!" she hissed. "Please wake up!"

The two guards heard Pebble. They turned around with sudden movements.

Wolfbreeze turned over and groaned. "W-Whaa...?"

The the black tom mumbled something to the orange tom. The orange tom nodded curtly and scampered off. The black tom kept an eye on them, making sure they wouldn't get away.

Wolfstream slowly gained consciousness and groaned once more as he lifted his head with ease. "Where are we?" he said painfully.

Pebble looked around nervously. "I'm almost positive we're in FireClan camp," she whispered straight into his ear.

By these words, Wolfstream jumped up immediately, ignoring the pain in his head. He then noticed the black tom watching them. "Oh StarClan, that tom is huge. No way we could get past him, even with the two of us," he mewed quietly. Pebble looked out the entrance, past the black tom, trying to see what was outside the cave. It was definitely nighttime, and she could see cats moving outside, including one solid gray tom coming closer towards the cave. She noticed the orange tom right beside the gray cat, almost as if the fiery tabby was escorting him.

Soon, the solid gray tom was at the entrance, walking right towards them. Pebble shuffled close to Wolfstream so their flanks were brushing against each other.

The tom stopped in front of them. He smiled just slightly. "Come with me," he muttered, his voice menacing.

Pebble thought this tom looked sort of familiar, but not in a good way. The thought was immediately shoved over by more important thoughts, like panic and wonder. They began to follow the tom out of the cave, and immediately cats around them began to hiss and flatten their ears. They were obviously not welcome here.

The tom led them up a rock that was elevated a few fox-lengths off the ground. The cats slowly gathered around them, looking at Pebble and Woldstream suspiciously. She realized then that this was the leader of their clan.

"Tell me why you two are here," he stated sternly.

"We were just passing through," Pebble stammered. "We are very sorry, we didn't know-"

"No excuses for passing through FireClan territory!" he screeched, his face only inches away from Pebble. She could see every detail of his wide, yellow-green eyes. Wolfstream hissed, flattening his ears.

Suddenly, Pebble saw the gray tom's eyes brighten slightly. "Wait..." he muttered, backing away from her and studying her brown dappled coat, the walked a few pawsteps over to Wolfstream.

He grinned horribly. "You are a WaterClan cat, aren't you?"

Cats in the crowd around them gasped. They murmured around him quietly, but when their leader flicked his long, ash-colored tail, the murmuring ceased.

"You bet I am!" Wolfstream spat, puffing out his light gray chest proudly.

The leader chuckled. "Cowards," he muttered. Wolfstream did not hear this remark, but Pebble heard it loud and clear. She hissed at the yellow-eyed leader.

He turned his head towards the brown she-cat. "And who do we have here...?" He studied her closely. Pebble could tell from his eyes that he was confused.

"You look so familiar..." he said with a serious voice. "But by your scent I can tell you are not a clan cat."

Pebble was about to answer when Wolfbreeze chimed in, changing the subject completely. Pebble wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not, she couldn't tell. "It is your clan's fault! Everything! You drove us out because you were afraid of some stupid prophecy! How would you know if the prophecy was bad?" He turned to the crowd. "You are all horrible cats. We suffered for a long time trying to find a new camp, and it's all your fault."

"Howlstar! Shut this cat up!" said one of the cats in the crowd. Everyone agreed with enthusiastic shouts and yowls.

The gray leader, whose name was apparently Howlstar, flicked his tail once more to silence the crowd. He narrowed his eyes at Wolfstream. "We couldn't take our chances. We had to do what was right for everyone!"

Wolfstream scoffed. "And driving us out of our own clan was the answer to doing that?!"

Howlstar sighed. "Your wretched leader killed our leader, my own father. He lost his life to that horrible white she-cat. He did everyone a favor by killing one of the twins and stopping the prophecy, and he died doing it. You should be grateful, you wretched piece of mouse-dung!"

Pebble froze. She turned her head towards Howlstar. "Wait. You all think that I'm dead?"

She immediately realized that was the worst possible thing she could say in this situation. She slowly shut her emerald eyes. Why... Why did I have to open my mouth... She thought. She also realized how she rcognized the leader- he was almost the spitting image of his horrid father, Ashstar, the cat that flung her to the ground and had scarred her back, and also her nightmares, forever. The only difference between them was that Howlstar's eyes were much more yellow, whereas Ashstar's were very much green. She shuddered at the memory of the murderous leader once more.

Howlstar stared at her in shock. "Of course, no wonder I recognized you... You're one of the twins!"

There was an uproar in the crowd. A small white she-cat with ginger paws and markings suddenly raced up to the rock. Her pelt smelled strongly of herbs- she was obviously the medicine cat. Her pale yellow eyes were wide, her expression showing a great deal of shock and amazement.

"I told you, Howlstar!" She hissed. "You can't get away from the destiny of a prophecy! Your father tried, but once StarClan says it will happen, it will happen!"

"Hush, Sparkstone," he said to the tiny medicine cat. "I understand the ways of StarClan."

"Apparently not," Sparkstone remarked softly, almost inaudible.

Howlstar turned his attention away from the she-cat and towards Pebble, flicking one gray ear. "Well," he meowed, grinning a toothy, disgusting grin.

"Let's see how this prophecy is going to work once I follow in my father's pawsteps and kill you."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_1 hour later_

Pacing back and forth in the tiny, cramped cave, Pebble growled. "Why am I so mouse-brained?" she retorted. "I just had to tell him I was the other twin."

"It's ok," Wolfstream said, trying to calm her down by brushing his soft gray tail against her flank. "We're going to find a way out of here."

Although his voice was incredibly reassuring and believable, she couldn't get herself to believe him. Just then, Pebble remembered something she wanted to tell Wolfstream, and she decided there was no other better time than to tell him now.

"Wolfstream, I need to talk to you about something..." she said, her voice trailing off at the end of the sentence.

He looked at her with warm, clear blue eyes, that almost seemed to glow it was so dark in the cave. "Of course," he mewed softly, moving a few pawsteps closer to her.

"It's about... the day that the clan left. Before the incident, I had so much faith in StarClan. I believed in the starry cats with all my heart, and I really believed they were watching over us."

Wolfstream interrupted. "Of course they are. Our loved ones and ancestors watch us from above, and make sure everything maintains balance and peace."

Pebble looked down. "I'm going to be totally honest with you. You aren't going to like it, and I apologize in advance."

Wolfstream tilted his head, looking worried. "Okay," he said.

She looked at him, straight into his glacier eyes. "The day everyone left me, it hurt. I felt more emotional, and physical, pain than I've ever felt in my life, and I wondered, if StarClan really did exist, why would they do such a horrible thing to me? Would they really be cruel enough to make a tiny kit suffer a horrible, lonely life like I did? And even if they did exist,I hated them. So..." she hesitated before she said the words. "I turned my back on them."

Wolfstream looked at her with sad eyes. He knew what she was going to say next.

"I don't believe in StarClan. I haven't since that day and I never will."

He looked down and squeezed his eyes shut. "You're right. I didn't like that."

She looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "I am so sorry, but I had to tell you."

He looked up at her. "It's okay. I'll try to understand. It is my religion and my faith, but it is obviously not yours, and that is a very hard thing to hear." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "But for now, this doesn't matter. I'm going to see if we can find a way out of here."

Pebble nodded awkwardly. Wolfstream walked toward the back of the cave, which was incredibly dark. It took awhile for his eyes to adjust, but when they did, he started to look for anything that could help them out. After looking for a while, he gave up and walked back to where Pebble was now lying down in a curled ball of thick, brown fur.

"Ok. This is what we're going to do," he told Pebble. She stood up, ears perked.

He put his muzzle close to her ear. "I'm going to make a distraction while you escape in the chaos of everything," he mewed softly so the guards at the mouth of the cave wouldn't hear. "This will be easy because it's quite dark outside. Just try not to accidentally bump into any cats or anything."

"Okay," she whispered.

He slowly snuck up on the guards, whose backs were turned to them. They were the same husky orange and black tom. Pebble became nervous; she knew he was going to pounce but these two cats were strong. Even though Wolfstream was muscular she didn't think he could take on one of these toms, let alone two.

Wolfstream waved his light gray tail on the ground just before pouncing, then attacked. He jumped on the orange tom, the slightly smaller one that he had a better chance with. The orange tabby yowled, trying to swat him off his back with his big, black paws, and then began trying to shake him off. As the black tom tried to help out his orange friend, Pebble began her way out of the cave and out of camp without anyone noticing. Once she was out of sight to everyone, she hid behind the pile of rocks, which made up the cave they were just inside, and waited for Wolfstream. He was still struggling to attack the tom near the cave entrance, but she knew this was just a distraction from when she slipped out of the cave. He'd be running over soon, to catch up with Pebble, so they could get out of there.

Cats started to look at the commotion. They all just watched with wide eyes. Howlstar came out of his den, far away on the other side of camp.

Wolfstream saw that Pebble had escaped from the cave. He jumped off the tabby and ran as fast as he could towards Pebble. Even though they weren't near the official camp entrance, this camp was just surrounded by trees and was poorly protected, and it was quite easy getting out of camp from any spot you choose.

As Wolfstream ran towards Pebble, he yelled, "Start running! NOW!"

Immediately, Pebble took off. Wolfstream caught up, then ran in front of her. "Follow me!" he said. Pebble couldn't see much because the moon was as thin as a cat's claw, so the night was incredibly dark and made it hard to see much of anything. But she used her other senses to follow him and move as fast as her paws could carry her. She heard cats behind them- they were being followed.

Pebble caught up to Wolfsteam. "We have to lose them," she meowed between breaths.

Wolfstream, without saying a word, took a sharp right. Pebble skidded and tried to turn as fast as he did, but she had to fully stop before picking up speed and running in his direction.

When she caught up with Wolfstream, she yelled, "What was that for?!"

"Sorry. I realized we were going the wrong way. We need to be running towards WaterClan, not parallel to it."

His tone had a harsh ring to it, as if it should be totally obvious to Pebble that they were going the wrong way. Pebble wondered if it had to do with the conversation about StarClan in the cave they had. She felt bad about disrespecting his beliefs like that. She wished that she believed in StarClan, but she just couldn't get herself to. They had betrayed her, and in return she turned her back on them.

She didn't have time to think about that now. For now, all she needed to concentrate on was running.

Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back. Those were the three words running through her head.

After running for a long time, she realized Wolfstream was slowing down up ahead. She began to slow down also, and eventually they both stopped. They sat there in silence, catching their breath. Finally, Wolfstream spoke.

"I think we lost them."

Pebble nodded. She couldn't hear any nearby cats. "I think so too."

The gray tom stood. "Let's get going," he mewed, flicking his fluffy tail. "We need to get to the camp before sunrise."

Pebble was exhausted, but she agreed.

As the two walked, Pebble thought about how excited she was to finally see her clan again. She couldn't believe they were on their way to WaterClan. She was going to see her brother again, brave little Bramblekit, who was probably an amazing warrior by now. He was such a warm-hearted, loyal cat, and she wondered what his warrior name was now. Pebble thought about her mother, her beautiful black coat and glowing golden eyes shimmering in Pebble's memory. She remembered the sweet little kit Spottedkit that she befriended the day of the invasion. She thought about everyone in her clan, and bursts of joy spread throughout her body.

But she was most excited to see her sister.

I wonder if we still look exactly alike, she thought. But she immediately realized this thought was silly- of course they would still look exactly alike! They were twins.

The two walked for hours. Pebble's paws were getting sore and tired. Her bloodshot, green eyes drooped. Wolfstream didn't look much better, with his medium-long fur tangled with twigs and covered with a thick layer of dirt. Never the less, his clear, blue eyes continued to radiate an icy wave of energy.

Finally, Wolfstream stopped in his tracks.

"We're here."

With these words, Pebble's blood turned to ice. Her dark fur stood on end. She realized she was incredibly nervous.

Wolfstream looked over at her, suddenly looking concerned. "Are you okay?" he murmured softly. "You look like you've seen Ashstar's ghost."

"F-fine," she stuttered. "Just a b-bit nervous. I haven't seen WaterClan since..."

"Just take a deep breath," he mewed softly. He comforted her by rubbing her back with his long tail. "Everything is going to be fine. I'm going to go get Riverbreeze before the sun comes up and every cat is awake."

Wolfstream gave her one last reassuring look, and then disappeared into the camps thick wall, made of underbrush and trees.

Minutes passed by, but to Pebble each second felt like an eternity. She swallowed, trying to calm herself.

Her ears perked when she heard rustling and voices. She could tell one of them was Wolfstream's deep, reassuring voice. As they got closer to where she was sitting, she could make out what they were saying.

"I promise, this is worth getting up early," she heard Wolfstream whisper.

"It better be."

Pebble's heart almost stopped.

The voice that said that sounded exactly like her voice. Except... with more sass.

The two cats popped out of the bushes a few feet away from her.

Pebble gasped.

Riverbreeze looked over, hearing her gasp. Seeing Pebble, she jumped, green eyes wide and fur standing on end. Wolfstream smiled.

Pebble slowly walked over. She couldn't believe her eyes. Suddenly, all of this reuniting with her clan stuff became real to her. It was actually happening. Her wish had come true after seasons and seasons of wishing.

Riverbreeze opened her mouth.

"...Pebblekit?"


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry this chapter took so long. I had to do a lot of editing! Hope you enjoy! Also, I am going to release the prologue and first chapter of a brand-new Warriors fanfic very soon soon, so stay on the lookout for that!**

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**Chapter 7**

"Finally," whispered Pebble. "We see each other again."

Riverbreeze still looked beyond shocked, with giant green eyes wide, dark fur standing on end, and mouth slightly ajar.

"Is... Is it really... You?"

Pebble chuckled. "Of course it's me!" she said a little too loudly. She remembered there were sleeping cats near that were not supposed to be wakened.

"But... you're supposed to be dead!" stuttered Riverbreeze quietly. "How did you survive?!" She then shook her head. "You know what? It doesn't matter. All that matters is you're actually here!"

Pebble smiled. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Me too, Pebblekit."

"Pebble. Call me Pebble."

Riverbreeze's eyes looked sad. Pebble could tell that Riverbreeze wished she had kept her old clan name. But Pebble couldn't call herself Pebblekit forever. It's a kits name. She was full-grown now. Besides, she hadn't been a clan cat for ages.

The two she-cats nuzzled. Pebble felt bursts of energy and happiness course through her. She couldn't believe they had finally reunited.

Pebble then remembered her idea. "Riverbreeze, I need to tell you something," she mewed softly. "I... I want to meet my clan."

Riverbreeze and Wolfstream exchanged worried glances. She looked back at her twin. "Pebble, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. I can understand that you want to meet everyone, but it would stir up old worries about the prophecy."

Pebble realized that cats had frequently been talking about this prophecy. She knew it was about her and her sister changing the lives of the two clans, FireClan and WaterClan, but besides that she knew nothing else about it. "Can somebody explain to me what this whole prophecy thing is about?"

Wolfstream stepped in. "A few months before you both were born, our medicine cat Arrowfur recieved a prophecy. It was something like..." Wolfstream had to think about it before answering, then said, " 'Two of the same will be born, and the clans will change forever.' It said something like that. Many cats worried if it meant the clans will change for the better or worse. A few months later, you two, and your brother, were born, and Arrowfur immediately knew that the prophecy was about you. Our neighboring clan we had been feuding with for quite some time, FireClan, somehow found out about this prophecy. All of them were very worried what this change might do, because FireClan had always been more powerful then we have. One day, a day you probably remember very well, they drove us out, and the leader tried to kill you. Obviously, he was unsuccessful." A sudden worried look occupied Wolfstream's clear blue eyes. "But now, FireClan knows..."

Pebble shuttered. She hated that all of this had to do with her and her sister.

Riverbreeze took a step back. "Wait. What?! How does FireClan know?" she exclaimed.

"We... were captured by them," said Wolfstream. He explained the whole story from the beginning, when Wolfstream rescued Pebble from the angry foxes.

"And that's how we got here," he finished.

"Oh, StarClan, this is not good," she said. "But at least they don't know where you are."

"Yes, at least that's good. I think that we shouldn't worry about that until we need to," added Pebble.

Riverbreeze looked back at Pebble. "All of these reasons are exactly why we can't take you to see our clan. I really wish there was some way."

Pebble smiled. "Oh, but Riverbreeze," said Pebble with a mischievous look in her eye, "There is most definitely a way!"

Riverbreeze smiled, a slight hint of evil in her emerald eyes. "It looks like you have a plan. What is it?"

Wolfstream rolled his eyes. "You two are definitely sisters."

"I had an idea back when Wolfstream found me. What if..." she paused for dramatic emphasis. "...we switched places?"

Riverbreeze's eyes widened. Wolfstream sighed and then interrupted. "I already told her it was a bad idea. I warned her!"

"Hush up, Wolfstream!" she snapped at the misty gray tom. She turned her head back to Pebble. "I think that's an amazing idea!"

Wolfstream looked shocked. Pebble looked surprised, too. She wasn't expecting her to like it. "Really?" she said, billowing with excitement.

Riverbreeze nodded. "As long as we're really careful, I think that can work out super well!"

Wolfstream frowned. "Why did I agree to this?" he mumbled inaudibly to himself.

She ignored the serious tom and began to run in the direction opposite to where the camp was. "Come on, I wanna show you something that can help out your genius plan!"

Pebble and Wolfstream picked up speed and followed behind her. After about 5 minutes of leaping over mossy fallen trees and dodging the obstacles, they came across what looked like a small den. It was made up of old tree trunks and other various materials, and it made the perfect hidden den.

"I will hide here while you switch places with me for a while. No other cat knows about this den, and no WaterClan cat ever comes out to this part of the territory, anyway." Riverbreeze had a proud look on her face. "If you ever need me or if there's an emergency, you can come and find me here!"

At first, Pebble was about to nod her head, but instead she began to worry if this was happening all too suddenly. Switching lives is a big deal, even for a short period of time. She didn't want to force her sister into doing anything she didn't want to do. After all, they were twins who had just reunited, and she really didn't want to be rude.

"Are you sure you're okay with all of this?" she asked. "If I'm forcing this whole switching thing on you, just tell me..."

Her sister smiled. "Of course not! I want to do this! It will be a fun adventure! I've sort of been wanting to take a break from the whole 'clan responsibilities' thing, anyway. I want to be free and able to do whatever I want for a while!"

Wolfstream interjected. "Maybe Pebble is right. Maybe we should take this more slowly."

Riverbreeze sighed. "Lighten up! You can be such a buzzkill!" Pebble could tell that these two were really good friends, but they shared one of those friendships where they both insult each other all of the time. Pebble's mind then wandered off to Rose, and she wondered how she was doing. Her heart ached when she thought of her best friend.

Riverbreeze's voice snapped her out of her deep thoughts. "You are still the exact same as I remember you!" she said to Pebble. "You were always the quiet, dreamy one, who would never dare get in trouble."

Wolfstream chuckled. "How in StarClan are you two even related?"

Riverbreeze glared at him and flattened her ears, then batted his misty ears playfully.

"Now, Wolfstream, when you two walk into camp, try to explain to Pebble who everyone is. She won't know, and if she acts confused they won't think it's me and this whole plan will completely fail. Can you do that for me?"

Wolfstream nodded. Pebble began to feel a bit nervous. What if she messed up? What would she do if they immediately realized it was her?

Riverbreeze noticed the worry in her sister's eyes. She walked over a couple pawsteps towards her and brushed her tail along Pebble's dappled back. "This is going to work out great- I know it! All you have to do is pretend to be me!"

Pebble still looked worried. "We're pretty different in personalities. Do you really think everyone won't notice?"

Riverbreeze nodded. "I think you'll be fine. And, you also have Wolfstream to help you out." She grinned, balled up her paw, and hit him on the shoulder. He looked over at her and squinted his eyes.

The two sisters giggled. Pebble looked over at her twin, amazed that she was even in her presence. It was such a weird feeling to see someone with the exact same body shape, eyes, fur, markings, and everything else as herself. It was like looking at a reflection.

Pebble sighed, breaking the brief silence. "So, Wolfstream is going to be the only person in the clan that will know my true identity?"

Riverbreeze paused. She thought for a moment, then looked at her sister. "No," she replied with a meaningful tone. "I want our brother to know. He had hope that you survived when everyone else lost it. He still has hope, and if you told him who you really are, he would be more than overjoyed. So please, tell him."

Pebble nodded. "And what about..." Before she said it, she had to pause. She couldn't believe she was about to see someone she had thought she would never see again. "...what about Mom?"

Riverbreeze stiffened. She frowned. "Why would you want to tell her?"

Pebble was shocked. "I just thought, since she's our mom-"

"She is a total mouse-brain!" Riverbreeze exploded in Pebble's face, her eyes filled to the brim with rage. "She thinks she's always doing the right thing, but she never is! I tell her day by day, but she never, EVER, listens to me! She is a coward and a traitor!"

Pebble cowered backwards, flattening her ears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you upset!"

Riverbreeze's curled lip quivered. She realized what she had just done. The rage drained from her eyes and she backed off. Her bristling fur flattened, and she sat down, head hanging low. "I'm so sorry, Pebble," she mewed. "It's just... Mom and I have never gotten along very well for reasons you just can't know about yet..." Riverbreeze closed her eyes and turned away. "I understand if you're mad at me now."

Pebble shook her head. "I'm not mad. I'm just... Startled. And confused."

Riverbreeze nodded her head. "It's okay if you tell her."

She smiled. She was so happy she was finally going to see her mother again.

"Now, go on!" said Riverbreeze, her mood lightening. "Cats will be waking up soon and they'll wonder where I am! Just remember, listen to whatever Wolfstream says." She smiled and licked her sister on the top of her head. "Come visit me in a few days, okay?"

"Of course," said Pebble, nuzzling her sister. "You're sure you're going to be okay in this cave?"

She nodded confidently. "I'm going to be totally fine here. I'll be happy, actually, to get away from the strict clan life for a little while." Riverbreeze then walked up to Wolfstream. "Take care of her, okay big guy?"

Wolfstream nodded curtly. "As you wish."

Riverbreeze laughed. "And loosen up a bit! You're such a stick in the mud!" she joked.

Pebble giggled, but Wolfstream didn't seem to find it funny. But, after a few moments, he broke into a smile. "I'll miss you too, Riverbreeze."

"Never said I was going to miss you," she said, turning around and walking deeper into the den. Nevertheless, she turned her head around and gave him an obvious wink.

Pebble walked up to Wolfstream near the entrance. She said one last goodbye before Wolfstream took off into the forest. Now that it was dawn and the sun had come up slightly over the horizon, Pebble could watch where she was going and not step on anything that would hurt, and the forest looked so beautiful in the dark orange sunlight of dawn.

****This was the day she had been waiting for her whole entire life.


	9. Chapter 8

**So sorry this chapter took so long! I have a lot of fanfics I'm working on, and I've been pretty busy. Please enjoy chapter 8, and meeting an ****_all new character_****! **

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**Chapter 8**

Riverbreeze watched as Wolfstream and Pebble ran off and disappeared into the lush, green forest. She felt a chilly, newleaf breeze flow into her den, and she shivered. They usually had warm days during newleaf that felt much more like greenleaf days, but this year newleaf was feeling an awful lot like leaf-bare. Riverbreeze trotted over to the entrance, stuck her head out the window, and looked up at the sky. Even though the early morning sun was bright and casting an orange glow on the forest, big, gray storm clouds were rolling in quickly, and the warm sunlight wouldn't last very long.

"Great," grumbled Riverbreeze to herself. "It's going to rain."

She decided that if it was going to rain, she might as well gather food, nest supplies, and everything else now in the warm sun instead of doing it later in the rain. Also, she didn't want a wet nest to sleep on.

Riverbreeze ran out of her den, gracefully leaping over obstacles in the forest. She stopped at a mossy tree and began to gather moss.

I can't believe this is actually happening! she thought. I can't believe Wolfstream found my sister! She silently thanked StarClan that all of this was happening.

She gathered the last of the moss she needed, and also gathered some soft and feathers, and began to head back to her den slowly so she wouldn't drop anything. Just when she was getting close to her den, the sky turned dark. Riverbreeze began to walk faster- she didn't want to get caught in the rain.

When she got back to her den she began to make her bed where she would be sleeping. Bursts of excitement coursed through body as she thought about how great it would be to spend a little time away from clan responsibilities.

As she was thinking about this, a noise startled her. It was the sound of loud rustling, and a distressed moan.

"Hello?" said Riverbreeze. "Wolfstream? Pebble? Is that you?"

Something burst through the bushes and straight into the entrance of her den. She took a few steps back, her emerald eyes startled.

In front of Riverbreeze was a chestnut brown she-cat. She had pretty flecks of gold in her fur, and a few darker brown stripes running down her back and her flank. Her glowing amber eyes were wide, and her fur was ruffled and dirty. She had a large scratch running down her cheek and other cuts throughout her body. But the most noticeable thing to Riverbreeze was that this she-cat was obviously expecting kits very soon.

"Please! Help me!" she gasped, her voice and body shaking violently. "Badgers, they... Kicked me out... My unborn kits... Not safe..." The she-cat suddenly collapsed onto her flank, panting in exhaustion.

Riverbreeze was totally shocked. She wasn't even sure what to say. Once she got over her shock, she realized that this pregnant cat seriously needed help. Even though she was no medicine cat, Riverbreeze knew well enough that she needed to help with the scratches that covered her body.

"It's okay," she said, helping the unstable she-cat stand. "Here, just lean on me." She obeyed. "There you go. I'll help you walk deeper into my den and you can sleep on my nest until you feel better, okay?" The she-cat thanked her as they walked over to Riverbreeze's newly made nest. The soon-to-be mother clumsily fell onto her bed, and closed her eyes.

"I really appreciate your help," she said. "I'm sorry to barge into your den like that."

"Don't worry about it," Riverbreeze reassured. "Now, I'll be right back. I'm going to go get some more bedding for myself and get some cobwebs for your injuries."

Riverbreeze ran outside her den, and she felt the temperature dropping. She needed to hurry before it would start raining.

She ran to the same place where she had gathered soft material and collected what she needed. Just as she spotted some cobwebs nearby and began to collect some, a heavy raindrop splashed onto her nose. As she made her way back to her den, more raindrops made their way onto her back and face, and by the time she walked through the entrance of her den, her fur was damp with droplets of water. She shook them off, put down her nest supplies, and took the cobwebs over to the wounded she-cat.

"There. This should help," she mewed as she treated her wounds. Riverbreeze noticed she was still shaking in fear.

"Thanks," she said. Then, she growled. "I hate badgers."

"You and me both." Riverbreeze then smiled. "What's your name?"

"Well, my given name by my housefolk was Selena. It was what my owners would call me. But, when they moved away, I shortened it to Sel. I liked it better." Riverbreeze noticed a sad look in Sel's amber eyes as she talked about her owners. _I would have never guessed that this cat was a kittypet at one point_, she thought.

"I'm so sorry," said Riverbreeze. "I know what it's like to lose some of your family, but... but not all of it."

Sel closed her eyes. "Yeah."

She decided to introduce herself. "I'm Riverbreeze."

Sel's eyes flew open, and she snapped her head towards her. "But... that's a Clan name!"

"Well, yeah," meowed Riverbreeze. "I'm a WaterClan cat."

"Then why aren't you with your Clan?"

"It's... a long story."

"I want to hear it."

"I dunno. Maybe some other time. It really is long."

"Well, we have plenty of time, don't we?" She gestured towards the pouring rain.

Riverbreeze darted her eyes towards Sel. "Okay, fine," she said. "I'll tell you. But, on one condition."

"Okay," mewed Sel.

"You tell me your story after I tell mine."

Sel nodded. "Fair enough."

Riverbreeze started from the beginning. The very beginning. She told Sel about the prophecy, and her sister, and how they were separated, all the way up to why she was in the den at that moment. Sel stayed quiet and attentive, showing little emotion. Finally, when her story was done, Sel smiled.

"That's an incredible story," said Sel. "I'm glad that you made your twin happy by switching with her. That's a very big and kind decision to make."

Riverbreeze noticed that Sel spoke calmly and with intelligence. She reminded her of Snowstar.

Riverbreeze shrugged. "I just wanted to make Pebbleki-I mean, Pebble-happy. And my brother and Wolfstream will keep her safe. I know it." Thunder and lightning began to crash and light up the gray, morning sky in the distance.

She flicked her emerald eyes over towards Sel. "Now, it's your turn." Riverbreeze lied down, settling in. "Tell me your story."


End file.
